Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) Shares Sold by West Branch Capital LLC

West Branch Capital LLC lowered its position in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) by 29.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,001 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,229 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC’s holdings in Sysco were worth $229,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. lifted its stake in Sysco by 1,240.0% in the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sysco during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. acquired a new position in Sysco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Sysco during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Canoe Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of Sysco in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 83.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Sysco news, EVP Greg D. Bertrand sold 48,027 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction of $3,698,079.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 56,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,335,408. The trade was a 46.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Sheila Talton sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.63, for a total transaction of $216,427.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,955 shares in the company, valued at $966,831.65. This represents a 18.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 83,306 shares of company stock valued at $6,485,050. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Sysco Price Performance

SYY opened at $73.47 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.38. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $76.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.87. The firm has a market cap of $36.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.18. Sysco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $69.03 and a fifty-two week high of $82.89.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.04). Sysco had a return on equity of 101.04% and a net margin of 2.44%. The company had revenue of $20.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.07 earnings per share. Sysco’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Sysco Co. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Sysco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Sysco’s payout ratio is currently 52.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Sysco from $87.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Sysco from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Sysco from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Melius began coverage on Sysco in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Sysco from $82.00 to $79.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.79.

Sysco Profile

Sysco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the marketing and distribution of various food and related products to the foodservice or food-away-from-home industry in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It operates through U.S. Foodservice Operations, International Foodservice Operations, SYGMA, and Other segments.